Method of wet cleaning tin-plate



2535, R E ZMMERMAN 3,865,417

METHOD 0F WET CLEANING TIN PLATE Fled Feb. lO, 1926 Sheets-SheetWitnesses: [mentor:

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Patented .lune 28, 1932 PATENT OFFICE RUFUS E. ZIMMERMAN, F PITTSBURGH,PENNSYLVANIA METHOD OF WET GLEANENG TIN-PLATE Application led February10, 1926. Seeiallo. $7,331.

This invention relates to the manufacture of tin plate and moreparticularly to cleaning the tin plate after the tinning or coatingoperation has been completed in order to remove the. excess oil carriedon the surfaces of the plates.

One object of the present invention is to provide a novel method andapparatus which will emulsify the oil on the plates with a Washingliquid, thereby eliminating the necessity for absorbing the oil in abranner or other device.

A further object is to provide a method and apparatus which will operateeliiciently l5 and effectively regardless of the temperature of theplates.

A still further object is to provide the novel method and apparatusdescribed in detail in the following specification and illustrated inthe accompanyin drawings.

Figures l and 2, combine show a side elevation of a tinning machinecleaning or washing tank and drying and polishing apparatus arranged tocarry out the method of this application. l

Figure 3 is an enlarged figure, partly in section, of one of thepolishing rolls of the drying and polishing apparatus.

fn its simplest form, the method of this invention consists in passingthe plates to be cleaned from the tinning pot, at which time they carryImore or less oil on their surfaces, into and through a body ofnon-infiammable cleaning or Washing liquid, and mechanically scrubbingthe plates or otherwise agitating the oil on the plates to cause the oilto become emulsified with the cleaning or Washing liquid, then squeezingthe plates as they pass from the body of cleaning liquid to remove anyoil or emulsion remaining thereon, and finally rinsing, drying andpolishing the plates.

Ordinarytap water is the basis of the liquid medium employed to removethe oil from the plates, and -may be used plain, or as followsmixture ofwater with soap, aqueous solution or suspension of boraX, sodiumphosphate, soda ash, sodium silicate, glue, gelatin, bran and similarfinely divided cereal "0 products, caustic soda or potash., clay andvarious other substances which have detergent value, or the property ofemulsifying oil with water. It will also be understood that anycombination or combinations of the above ingredients may be used.

ln carrying out the novel method of this invention the black, untinnedsheets or plates are fed into the iux side of a tin pot P Where they areengaged by a pair of feed rolls 62 and fed downwardly through a body offlux 63 and into the molten tin 64. As the plates are fed into the tin64 they are engaged by a second pair of feed rolls 65 and fed throughthe opening 66 into the oil or exit side of the pot l. As the platesenter the oil side of the tin pot l.) they engage the guide 67 and areturned upwardly so as to be engaged by the exit or feed-out rolls 68,which feed the plates out of the tin pot through a body of palm oil 69and also squeeze off any surplus tin. The plates pass from the rolls 68into the bite of a pair of feed rolls 70 which feed the plates upwardlyso that they will fall onto an inclined roller feed table 71 from whichthey will move by gravity onto the conveyer table 2 which conveys theplate to the cleaning or washing tank 3. The plates pass from thecleaning tank 3 to a drying and polishing apparatus 4 and are,discharged from the apparatus 4 onto a buggy 5 or other suitableconveyer, cleaned, dried and polished.

Y The conveyer 2 is provided with a pair of pinch rollers 6 adapted tofeed the plates to be cleaned into the tank 3.

A plurality of pairs of horizontal rolls A are journaled in the tank 3and each pair is composed of a conveying or feeding roll 7 and an oilremoving and emulsifying roll 8. The rolls 8 are alternately arranged asthe top and bottom roll of the several pairs of rolls, so that bothsurfaces of the plates are acted upon by the rolls 8.

rThe conveying or feeding rolls 7 are in the form of a steel cylinderhaving a spiral covering of cotton belting or the like 9 'to form afriction surface, and the oil removing and emulsifying rolls 8 areformed from a plurality of felt discs mounted on a square shaft 10.

'.lhe rolls 7 and 8 are journaled so that their bite is below the levelof the cleaning liquid, and each of the rolls of the several pairs ofrolls are preferably independently driven, So that the roll 8 of each ofsaid pairs of rolls may be driven at a speed to provide a materiallyfaster surface speed than the sur face speed of the roll 7 of the samepair of rolls, thus causing the roll 8 to rotate relative to the platepassing between the rolls.

The rolls 8, by rotating relative to the plates, will rub the oil fromthe plates and force the oil and cleaning liquid together and by theirrubbing action form an emulsion of the oil and cleaning liquid.

The plates after leaving the tank 3 enter the bite of a pair ofsqueezing rolls 12 and 13 journaled in the apparatus 4 and then passfrom between the rolls 12 and 13 through the space between a pair offixed guides 14 and 15 into the bite of a second pair of squeezing rolls16 and 17.

The squeezing rolls 12 and 13, and 16 and 17 are preferably formed witha rubber base 18 having a covering 19 of flannel or other fabric.

A pair of rinsing hot water sprays 20 and 21 are mounted between thesqueezing rolls 12 and 13 and guides 14 and 15 and are adapted to directa stream of hot water against both sides of the plates as they pass'from the squeezing rolls 12 and 13, to rinse any oil or emulsion of oiland water from the plates The hot water also serves to heat the platesso that at least part of the water sprayed thereon will evaporate.

A pair of hot air blast pipes 22 and 23 are arranged at the rear of thesqueezing rolls 16 and 17 and direct a blast of hot air against the bothsides of the plates as they emerge from the squeezing rolls 16 and 17 tofinally dry the plates.

A pair of guides 24 and 25 are arranged to receive the plates as theypass from the rolls 16 and 17 and direct them into two pairs ofpolishing rolls 26, 27 and 28, 29 journaled in the apparatus 4.

The lower roll 26 of one pair ofl rolls, and the upper roll 29 of theother pair have a materially greater surface speed than the other rollof the pairs of rolls, so as to have a rotary movement relative to theplates passing between the rolls thereby rubbing and polishing theplates.

The rolls 26, 27 and 28, 29 are each composed of a series of cloth discsmounted on a square shaft 30.

A pair of discharge or feed-out rolls 31 and 32 are journaled in theapparatus 4 and are adapted to reeeivfJ the plates from the pair ofpolishing rolls 28, 29 and to feed the plates onto a magneticfeed-roller 33 which will feed the plates onto the buggy 5.

In carrying out the method of this application the tank 3 is firstfilled to the proper level with a non-inflammable liquid, or liquidcompound such as described in the forepart of this specification. Theliquid most generally used so far in commercial practice isapproximately 0.2 per cent. solution of soda ash (sodium carbonate) inwater.

The plates pass along the conveyer 2 from the tin pot and are seized bythe pinch rollers 6 and fed down through the non-inflammable cleaningliquid, and into the bite of the first pair of rolls A, thence betweenthe several pairs of rolls A out of the tank 3 and into the bite of thesqueezing rolls 12 and 13.

The rolls 8 of each of the pairs of rolls A,

- due to their having a greater surface speed than the conveying rolls 7of the pairs of rolls, will rotate relative to the surface of the platesand thereby force the cleaning liquid and oil on the plates together andwipe the plates, so as to form an emulsion of. the oil and cleaningliquid or compound.

As. the plates pass through the rolls 12 and 13 the major portion ofliquid either in the form of oil, emulsion, or cleaning liquid carriedon the plates will be removed.

As the plates pass from the squeezing rolls 12 and 13 they are sprayedor rinsed with the hot water from the pipes or nozzles 20 and 2l whichwill rinse oil any oil, emulsion, or cleaning liquid still remaining onthe plat-es. The plates will then pass'between the second set ofsqueezing rolls 16 and 17 and the rinsing water will be squeezed olf theplates.

As the plates pass from between the rolls 16 and 17 they will be finallydried by the hot air blasts from the pipes 22 and 23 which are directedagainst the opposite sides of the plate. The dry plates then passbetween the polishing rolls 26, 27 and 28, 29 and are polished by therubbing action of the rolls 26 and 29. The dried and polished plates arethen fed out of the apparatus by the feedout rollers 31 and 32, and areengaged by the magnet roller 33 which feeds them onto the buggy 5.

While I have described a certain specific form of apparatus for carryingout the steps of my improved method, it will be understood that I do notwish to be limited to the use of this apparatus in carrying out myimproved method, since various other forms of apparatus may be used toform an emulsion of the oil carried on the plates with a cleaningliquid, and other forms of drying and polishing apparatus may be usedwithout departing from the scope of the improved method as defined inthe Vappended claims.

I claim:

1. In the manufacture of tin plate coated on both sides with tin, themethod which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin andoil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneouslyemulsifying.

the oil carried on both sides of said plates Wlth a non-inflammableliquid.

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2. In the manufacture of tin plate coated on both sides with tin, themethod which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin andoil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneouslyemulsifying the oil carried on both sides of said plates with anon-iniiammable liquid and thereafter simultaneously drying andpolishing both sides of said plates.

3. In the manufacture of tin plate coated on both sides with tin, themethod Which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin andoil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneouslyemulsifying the oil carried on both sides of said plates with anon-inflammable liquid and then squeezing and rubbing said plates to atleast partly dr both sides of said plates.

4. In tliie manufacture of tin plate coated on both sides with tin, themethod Which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin andoil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneouslyemulsifying the oil carried on both sides of said plates with anon-inflammable liquid, simultaneously rinsing both sides of saidplates, and thereafter simultaneously drying and polishing both sides ofsaid plates.

5. In the manufacture of tin plate coated on both sides With tin, themethod Which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin andoil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneouslyemulsifying the oil carried on both sides of said plates with anon-inflammable liquid, rinsing both sides of said plateswith hot Water,and thereafter drying and polishing both sides of said plates.

6. In the manufacture of tin plate coated on both sides with tin, themethod which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin andoil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneouslyemulsifying the oil carried on both sides of said plates with anon-infiammable liquid, squeezing both sides of said plates to removethe major portion of the emulsion adhering thereto, rinsing both sidesof said plates, and thereafter drying both sides of said plates.

7 In the manufacture-of tin plate coated on both sides with tin, themethod which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin andoil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneouslyemulsifying the oil carried on both sides of said plates with anon-inflammable liquid, squeezing both sides of said plates to removethe major portion of the emulsion adhering thereto, rinsing both sidesof said plates, and thereafter drying and polishing both sides of saidplates.

8. In the manufacture of tin platecoated on both sides With tin, themethod which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin andoil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneouslyemulsifying the oil carried on both sides of said plates With anon-inflammable liquid, simultaneously squeezing both sides of saidplates to remove the maj or portion of emulsion adhering thereto,simultaneously rinsing both sides of said plates with hot Water, andthereafter simultaneously drying and polishing both sides ot saidplates.

9. In the manufacture of tin plate coated on both sides with tin, themethod which consists in passing the sheets successively through tin andoil baths and subsequently cleaning the tin plates by simultaneouslyemulsifying the oil carried on both sides of said plates with anon-inflammable liquid, simultaneously squeezing both sides of saidplates to remove the major portion of the emulsion adhering thereto,simultaneously rinsing both sides of .said plates with hot Water, andthereafter simultaneously squeezing and rubbing both sides of saidplates to remove at least the major portion of the rinsing Water and topolish said plates.

10. The method of cleaning tin late after tinning which includes thesteps o emulsifying the oil on said plates With anon-infiammable liquid,squeezing said plates to remove the maj or portion of emulsion adheringthereto, rinsing said plates with hot Water, again squeezingsaid platesto remove the major portion of rinsing Water adhering thereto, passingsaid plates through a hot air blast to dry said plates, and finallypolishing said plates.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

RUFUS E. ZIMMERMAN.

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